I Like The Way You Burke It

The sun rises here around 7:30 so we usually get up around 8:30 and if we are really lazy like this morning we get up at 9. This is still several hours before anything Spanish gets started so we don’t feel as lazy as we really are. The dogs sleep in a twin bed in our second guest room and when we wake up we call for them and they BOUND into our bed like they haven’t seen us in ages and ages. And for this, all human should get a dog.

Anyway, because there is no grass for us to let the dogs out on we immediately get dressed and walk them about three minutes to Playa Chorrillo to let them out. This is not our closest beach but it is great for Foxy and Neena because it is confined by two giant boulders so they run free but not get too far. This is my favorite time of day. We assess the water from here every morning and try to judge what kind of day it will be…which is not always obvious on the Mediterranean.

Foxy has taken to surfing and she is hysterically very good at it! The first break of the waves is decently large but after her first leap over it a few weeks ago she couldn’t care less. Neena, on the other hand, will not under ANY circumstances cross that first break. She would rather scavenge the beach for something dead and nasty to eat.

And yes, the water is cold. Blood chilling cold. But the Nordic tourists seem to think it is bath water…they are the only fools to go in the water right now. And Wells, of course.

Here are photos of Playa Chorrillo –a.k.a – OUR BEACH – and Foxy surfing.

	Wells and Foxy argue over the stick.	This is all very exciting for Foxy.	Neena would rather scavenge the beach for something nasty to eat.

Wells has decided it is too hot for his full beard. He has also decided to take if off in stages. For those of you that don’t know Wells all that intimately, I can assure you that he possessed NO/ZERO/ZILCH signs of redneckiness
in the states. He had to come all the way to Europe and wuuuurrrrkkkkk to get this look. I am secretly hoping he gets a scorching sunburn on the mowed sections of his face. Mind you, the beard is still not totally off so this post could drag out for days.

We took the dogs up the mountain to El Pinarillo, a recreation site on one of the mountain’s lower peaks. It took an hour to walk from our house to the base of the mountain so I was naturally tired before we even started. The route was well marked as “El Parque Natural” and stayed on the main track, to Wells’ chagrin. He likes to off road a bit.

The temperature gradually dropped and by the time we got to the top it was downright chilly. The recreation site had a ton of tables, serious grills, clean running water, and GREAT views. The hike was 5 hours total  and very strenuous. It was by far my most exhaustive hike…ever…and I was sore for two days. We were supposed to go on an 8 hour hike today but it is raining and Wells is not feeling his best so we had to bail out at 6:30 in the morning. I am secretly VERY ok with bailing out.

We spent the morning at the Nerja Donkey Sanctuary and I am hooked! The Nerja Donkey Sanctuary is run by volunteers dedicated to rescuing, caring for and protecting donkeys, mules and horses. And they happen to have a lot of dogs too. It is literally on the edge of town right above the beach so you can walk there. They have a pot belly pig, Henrietta, that I am obsessed with but my favorite are the goats. I love goats (and goat cheese incidentally). We took several of the dogs for walks and fed the animals carrots, stale bread, and grasses. They all have names and distinct personalities. There are the popular donkey’s in a clique, the donkey bully in a pen alone, the babies, and the old timers. One of the donkeys is 42 years old, which is some kind of record. Anyway, we plan to spend much more time with the donkeys. Here are some more pictures:

I am several blog posts behind and I am so flattered by so many of you who have reached out to me inquiring where I went. Truth be told I am having blogging technical difficulties. And I have been a tad lazy this week. But my blog and I are fighting like cats and dogs at the moment. CATS AND DOGS I SAY!

This post has nothing to do with Spain, travel, our dogs, us, or anything. It is just so damn funny that I had to share it. Watch till the end and if you are not cracking up I will give you $1 Euro. ENJOY!

The exterior of our townhome community is being painted. This ladder is situated right outside of our front door. No big deal, right? I know it doesn’t look like much from the picture, but this second photo is of Neena’s paw print. In paint. In our living room. One of about twenty.

Wells is home now and he brought me these flowers off the bus. Who doesn’t love tulips?!? We went to Asian Ben’s last night for sushi and curry dinner. We both giggle when we see a Chinese person speaking Spanish because it is just so odd. Then we went to hear The Mending Hearts Duo at the Cultural Center. They are a Western Swing duo from Scotland that we heard first in a bar then went to see them again. So good! That is the second event I have seen at the Nerja Cultural Center. The first event was the movie The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. And yes, Brad Pitt looks hot when speaking Spanish. There is an event every single day at the Cultural Center, which shocks me because our town is so small.

I can understand the Spanish better than the English. When I say English I mean British, not English speaking.

Today I had lunch at the Coach and Horses and I don’t know why because the whole planet thinks English food is the pits. There was a large party that took up almost the whole restaurant so I sat at the bar. The food took an extraordinary long time to come out, presumably because of the large party. My pork chop came out and I was starting to eat it when the waitress came back and placed something else for me to eat on the side.

Waitress: Complements of the Chef.

Kate: Thank you. What is it?

Waitress: A side of Herpes.

Kate: What?

Waitress: Her-pes. (then she looked at me like I was the village idiot)

I know that there is more than one way to catch Herpes but having it served to you in a ramekin at your lunch is not something with which I am familiar. I raised my eyebrow a bit and gave a little smile and a nod thinking that I would just slide the Herpes around to make it look like I ate some. But no! She waited! She waited for me to taste the Herpes-British-Simplex-2 and give her a reaction. I could not find it in me to be rude so I tasted it. And it was stuffing. Like Stove Top Stuffing. Filled with Spices. And here is the AH-HA moment. Herbs. Herbs and Spices.

Herb-ies. Not Herpes. WHEW!